The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-11-29
THIRST IN Il CAVERN"
Or. Talmage's Sermon at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle.
"oH THAT SOME ONE WOULD GIVE NE

my appropriate lftSNt3tN VI i21i4Etu'@9f ''iS
Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage, d. D., gave out the
following hymn, that was sung by the congre-
cation with great heartiness:
'Buricd in sorrow and in sin
Al hei's dark door we lay:
But we arise by grace Divine,
To sec n glorious day"
The subject Of the sermon was "Thirst in a
Cavern" and tie text: ooh that one wonld
give mo drink Of water of the well OF Bethlc-
hem, which is by the gait! % Samuel xiii,
u.
War, always distressing, is especially ruinous
IN harvest time. When the crops are all ready
for the sickle, to have them trodden down by
cavalry horses and heavy supply trains gully
ing the fields, is enough 10 make any man s
heart sick. When the last great war broke out
in Europe, and France and Germany were
coming into horrid collision, | rode across
their golden harvcsts, and saw the tents
pitched, and the trenches dug in the very
midst Of the ripe fields, the long scythe OF bat
tie sharpening 10 NOV down harvests OF men
in great winrows Of the dead j was AT this
season Of harvest that the army Of the Phili5-
tines came down upon bethlehem. ll@fk to
the camor Of their voices, tito Deighing of
their chargers the blare of their trunpets, and
the clash Of their shields.
Let David and his men fall back! The Lords
host sometimes loses the day. But David
knew where to hide He had been brought up
in that country.
BOYS are inquisitlve and they know ail about
she reg on where they were born and brought
up. II you should 70 back to the old homo
stead, you ccaid, With your eyes shut ind
your Way 10 tie meadow, or the orchard or the
hill back OF tie house, with which you were
familiar thirty or forty years ago SO, David
knew DE cave Of AGullam. Perhaps, in his
boyhood days. he had played "hdc and-scck'
with his comrades all about the Old cave; and
though oth ers might not have known it, David
did. Travellers say there is only one way OF
getting into that cave, and that is 10y a very
narrow path; bat David was stout and steady
headed, and stcady-ucrved; and so, with his
three brave staff officers, he goes along that
path. finds the way into the cave, sits
the dark passages Of the mountain,
feels very weary with the forced
march and water he must have, or die. | do
not know but there may have been drops trick
ling down the side Of the cavern or That there
may have been some water in the goat skin
slung TO his grdle but that was not what he
wanted He wanted deep, fun cold drink,
such as n man gets only out OF an old well Wth
moss covered bucket. David remembered
that very near that cave Of Adulam, there
was such y well as that a well to which he
rsed TO 20 in boyhoud- the well Of Bethlehem;
aud llc almost imagincs that he can hear the
liquid plash Of that we'll, and his parched
tongue moves through his hot lips rs he says;
"Oh, that one would give me drink of the
water of the well OF Bethlehem, which is by
the eatep'
1t was no sooner said than DONE The three
brave stalI-oiicers bound TO their feet and
start Brave soldiers will take even hint
from their commander. But between them
and the well lay tho host Of the Philistinos;
and what could three men do with great ar
my? Yet where there is a will there is n way,
and with their swords slashing this way and
that, they make their path to the well. While
the rhlistncs are amazed at the seeming fool
hardness of these three men, and cannot
make up their minds exactly what il
means, tho three men have come
TO tho we'll They drop the bucket.
They bring mp the water. They pour it in
the pail, and then start for the cave. "Stop
theml' cry the Philistines. "Clip them with
your swords Stab them with your speaIsl
Stop those three men" Too latcl They
have got around the hin, The hot rocks are
splashed with tho overlooking water from the
vessel as ii Is carried up the cliffs. Tho three
men 20 along the dangerous path, and with
checks flushed with the cxcitement, and all
out of breath in their haste, they fling their
swords red with the skirmish, to the side of
the cave, and cry ont TO David: "There,
captain OF the host, is what you wanted,
drink Of the we'll OF Bethlehem, which is By
the gate
A text is Of no use to mo unless I can find
Christ in il; and unless can bring a Gospel
ont Of these words that win arouse and com
fort and bless I shah wish / had never seen
them: for your time would be wasted, and
against NY soul the dark record would be made
that this day stood before n great audience OF
SHINING, suffering and dying men, and told
them OF no rescue. BY the cross of the Son oi
God, BY the throne Of The eternal Judgment,
that shall not be- May tho Lord Jesus help
me 10 tel You the truth today
Nou know that carrier pigeons have some
times letters tied under the wing, aud they fly
hundreds ui milestone hundred miles in-an
hour carrying message. SO have thought
I would Ike TO have il now. o. heavenly
Dove bring under thy wing today. to my soul.
aud 20 the souls Of this people, some message
oil light, and love, and peace,
IL IS not an unusual thing 70 see people
gather around "a well in summer time The
husbandman puts down his cradle nj the we'll
curb, The huildorpGts down his truwcl. The
Traveller puts down his pack Then one draws
the water iol all the rest, himself taking the
very last The cup is passed around, and the
fires of thir, are pat cut the traveller starts en-
his journey and the workman takes MP h.
burden,
My friends. We come tsday around the Cos
pei we'll We put down our pack OF burdens
and or Implement, OF toll. One man must
draw thc water for thoso who have gathered
around tho we'll. l Will try and draw the
wafer today, and If, after / have poured out
from this living fountain for your soul, | Just
taste vt 1t myself, yoa VIII nos bogruEo me
drink from the water Of the wen of Bethe-
hem. which is by the gatc.'
This Gospel Wcll Ike the we'll spoken al
In the text, is we'll OF Bchlehem. David
had known hundreds Of wells OF water, bat
lac wanted 90 drink from that particular one
aud he thought nothing could Stake his thirst
like that. And unless your soul and mine can
get access 60 the Fountain open for sin and am
clenhncsS, we must Gic That fountain is the
wei OF EctllchCm. Ii was dug IN the night
II was dug hl the Nght Of q lantern the star
that hung down over thc munger IA was dug
not 20 the gate Of Cpsal'S palaces moi IN tho
park of Jerusalem barSiin-uakcr. IL WAS
dug IN ba'n Tho camels lifted their weary